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Click to see a gallery of the 2012 BMI Country Awards (this photo of Kenny Chesney: Dipti Vaidya/The Tennessean)

Country stars, hit songwriters and living music legends gathered in Nashville on Tuesday night to salute one another at the 60th annual BMI Country Awards.

Songwriters Dallas Davidson and Luke Laird shared one of the evening’s top honors, as both were named songwriters of the year. The two each contributed five of the performing rights organization’s most-performed country songs of the year, including “Country Girl (Shake It for Me),” “A Little Bit Stronger,” “We Owned the Night” and “Take a Back Road.”

“Take a Back Road,” which Laird wrote with 2011 songwriter of the year Rhett Akins, was named song of the year.

“These last few years have been really special,” Laird told The Tennessean on Tuesday night. “I feel like as a writer, I get better every year, but this last year, I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of artists that I’m fans of, as well as other songwriters. I’ve had just enough success that I get to work with more people that I really want to be working with, so I feel really blessed.”

“Back Road” was a No. 1 hit for Rodney Atkins, who said he couldn’t stop replaying the first recording the songwriters gave him.

“It had everything,” Atkins said. “It became something that once we released it, instantly, emails started coming in by the thousands, with people saying that it made them feel differently. It lifted their spirits. It was their get in their right state of mind to go to chemotherapy treatments, dealing with cancer, dealing with losing their job, going through tough times. Those are the songs I love, that are anthems about real life.”